William X. O'Brien

William X. O'Brien (23 January 1881-31 October 1968) was a Teachta Dala from 1922 to 1923, in 1927, and from 1937 to 1938, representing the Irish Labor Party.

Biography
William X. O'Brien was born in Clonakilty, County Cork on 23 January 1881, and his family moved to Dublin in 1897. O'Brien became involved with Marxist politics there, and he became a close friend and associate of James Connolly. In 1909, O'Brien assisted in the creation of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, leading it during the 1913 Dublin lockout. In 1914, he took over the ITGWU when James Larkin went into exile in the United States, and he became enemies with Larkin when Larkin founded the Workers' Union of Ireland. In 1930, O'Brien attempted to persuade the Irish government to give Leon Trotsky asylum, but W.T. Cosgrave refused to do so. O'Brien retired from politics in 1946 and died in 1968 at the age of 87.